The "Kosmos" site (Westouter, Belgium)
Photos – Info – Weather – Tips – Geo Info – Starry sky [- Tides]
General information about The Cosmos
Former tourist attraction: "Holiday Domain Kosmos". Is about 7 hectares in size. Actually, the site consists of two parts: an upper and a lower part. Where there used to be an outdoor swimming pool, in the lower part, there is now an outdoor amphitheater. This project "Speelberg De Kosmos" was developed by the Flemish Agency for Nature and Forest. For the little ones, a beautiful play area has been created. Partial panoramic view.
A few years back, the upper part, located on the large parking lot, came into the hands of Hendrik Daem and his partner Nathalie Lermytte: the site was given in long lease. In addition to the modernist main building (hotel/cafe/restaurant), there were also two vacation homes. In 2023, the then Flemish Minister of Immovable Heritage Matthias Diependaele (NVA) visited the site. Eventually, the Flemish Agency for Immovable Heritage granted a grant of EUR 793,226 to upgrade the site. This will create a cultural hub for music, cinema, food, theater, art and architecture and named "Iconic Kosmos." Architectural firm on duty is bildt.architects from Roeselare. Works on the former hotel were started in 2025. These construction works should be completed in November 2028. However, the grand opening is expected in 2034: the 100-year anniversary of the youth hotel "De Kosmos".
On various websites on the Internet we find plans of what will happen to the site. See some examples below.
Because a new vantage point is being created, there is also support from the European Community: Interreg VI project: EUTOPIA, Clim@TouVert; see also Westtoer website on this.
Geographical information
Address: Rodebergstraat 53, Heuvelland, West Flanders, Belgium
Geographical coordinates:
- Google Maps: Latitude = 50.78734 - Longitude = 2.7613549
- Open Street Maps: Latitude = 50.787588 - Longitude = 2.761454
- Altitude h = 103 m
Indication of De Kosmos on:
Tourist map of Top.Vlaanderen - Google Maps - OpenStreetMap.
Route to De Kosmos: Route via Google Maps
Meteo
8°C
| Day | Condition | Temperature | Precipitation | Rain Chance | Wind | Humidity | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Today
22:00
|
 cloudy
|
7° | 8°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 11 Km/h | 96 % | 1020 mb |
|
Tomorrow
22:00
|
cloudy
|
5° | 10°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 11 Km/h | 92 % | 1020 mb |
|
Mon Jan 26
10:00 p.m.
|
partly cloudy
|
2° | 9°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 12 Km/h | 93 % | 1019 mb |
|
Tue Jan 26
10:00 p.m.
|
 slightly cloudy
|
4° | 10°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 13 Km/h | 93 % | 1020 mb |
|
Wed Jan 26
10:00 p.m.
|
cloudy
|
2° | 8°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 26 Km/h | 94 % | 1011 mb |
| Hour | Condition | Temperature | Precipitation | Rain Chance | Wind | Humidity | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Today
13:00
|
cloudy
|
8° | 10°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 11 Km/h | 96 % | 1017 mb |
|
Today
16:00
|
cloudy
|
9° | 10°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 7 Km/h | 93 % | 1017 mb |
|
Today
19:00
|
cloudy
|
9° | 9°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 9 Km/h | 94 % | 1018 mb |
|
Today
22:00
|
cloudy
|
8° | 8°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 93 % | 1020 mb |
|
Tomorrow
01:00
|
cloudy
|
8° | 8°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 9 Km/h | 88 % | 1020 mb |
|
Tomorrow
04:00
|
cloudy
|
7° | 7°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 11 Km/h | 90 % | 1019 mb |
|
Tomorrow
07:00
|
cloudy
|
7° | 7°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 11 Km/h | 92 % | 1019 mb |
|
Tomorrow
10:00
|
cloudy
|
7° | 7°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 11 Km/h | 87 % | 1019 mb |
Starry skies above The Cosmos
Internet information from and about The Cosmos
Wikipedia page about the Kosmos site on the Rodeberg: in Dutch.
Historical photos about Kosmos in Westhoek Verbeeldt.
Info about the Speelberg De Kosmos on the website of the Forest & Nature Agency.
Company information about the client: DingDong BV
Internet media for the ICONIC KOSMOS project: Facebook – Instagram – Pinterest
Internet media for bildt.architecten: website – Facebook
Articles in "Het Laatste Nieuws"about the Kosmos project:
* 20250208 About the start of the works
* 20230609 About the visit of Minister Diependaele
Heuvelland Tourist Office:
Website – Facebook – Instagram
Tourism Westhoek (Westtoer)
Website – Facebook – Instagram
Time Period:
1934 The hotel was built in 1934 as a youth hotel
1965 Expansion with a café/restaurant
1992 Expansion with veranda
2002 Withdrawal of permit for open-air swimming pool
2004 Classified as protected monument
2005 Building becomes vacant
June 2009 Flemish Land Maatschappij (VLM) buys the site
August 13, 2009 Last swimming party
2010 Demolition of swimming pool and its buildings
June 2023 Plans are presented to the press
2025 Works are started
November 2028 Scheduled completion date of works on the main building
2034 "Grand" opening
Our photos about The Cosmos
Onze foto’s, video’s, … zijn allen (c) 2004-2026, Top.Vlaanderen, België. Ze mogen niet “zomaar” worden overgenomen of gebruikt. Ze zijn evenwel licentieerbaar. Wil U uw eigen toeristische attractie, B&B, vakantiewoning… laten fotograferen door ons, dat kan ook. Neem hiervoor contact met ons op via ons Contactformulier .
Plans of the new Cosmos, as appeared on various websites (NVA, Newspaper of West Flanders, etc.):
Photos from the shipyard (June 22, 2025):
Photos of "Play Mountain The Cosmos": the new play area & amphitheater (photos dated March 9, 2023):
Photos of the former hotel/restaurant (photos dated March 9, 2023):
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